Stacey's Emergency II
by Elizabeth8289
Summary: When Stacey learned that Mary Anne was thrown out by Sharon, she wants to help out. In fact, she realized Mary Anne and Sharon haven't getting along lately. What can Stacey do to help her friend to have a better relationship with her stepmom?
1. The News about Mary Anne

I never owned the Baby-Sitters Club

I was heading to my best friend, Claudia Kishi's, for a meeting called the Baby-Sitters Club a.k.a BSC. It was a Wednesday. We hold it every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from five-thirty to six because Claudia has her own phone with a private line. I love that idea so we don't have to tie the other phone lines during the meeting. She's the vice-president.

The others are Mary Anne Spier, her two best friends, Kristy Thomas & Dawn Schafer, who is also Mary Anne's stepsister, Mallory Pike, Jessi Ramsey, and me-Stacey McGill.

I'm thirteen years old and attend Stoneybrook Middle School for eighth grade. I live in Stoneybrook, Connecticut with my mom. I grew up in New York City with both of my parents. The first time I moved here was in seventh grade when my father was transferred here. Then a year later, we had to move back to New York City. However, my parents' had been fighting ever since, so they announced they were going to get divorced. Dad wanted to stay in New York while Mom planned to move back here. I had to choose who I want to live with.

After a lot of thinking, I decided to return here with Mom and now, Mallory is my neighbor in back of me. We go to school and walk to Claudia's house together often. I do visit Dad a lot.

I have blue eyes and blonde hair. I'm also diabetic. I can't eat sugar or sweets. I have to inject myself daily and see a doctor a LOT otherwise I could really sick. Being a diabetic isn't so bad when you're used to it.

At Claudia's, it was only five-twenty when I got there. I'm the treasurer and collect dues on Mondays. I'm terrific at math. If I can't attend to any meetings, our alternate officer, Dawn, takes over for me. In fact, she can take over for anyone. I'll tell you more about her later.

Since Claudia's my best friend, I'll begin with her. For starters, she's Japanese. She has a long black hair and black eyes. She enjoys art; she can be super creative. She hates school; her older sister, Janine, is very smart. Luckily, Claudia do gets C averages, which she would need to stay in the club with us.

She provides snacks for us including healthy ones for me and Dawn. She passes junk food to the rest. She hides them and her Nancy Drew books because her parents don't approve any of them.

Like I said before, Mary Anne and Dawn are stepsisters. First of all, Mary Anne only grew up with her dad. Her mom died long time ago when she was an infant. Her dad was strict for years until she was a seventh grader. In the meantime, Dawn was growing up in California with her parents and her only brother, Jeff, until the Schafers got divorced. Dawn moved here with her mom and Jeff over on Burnt Hill Road. Jeff never adjusted here and moved back to California. Mary Anne and Dawn already became good friends. They even discovered that their parents dated _way_ back in high school. They ended got back together and became a stepfamily. Mary Anne calls Mrs. Schafer, Sharon, while Dawn calls Mr. Spier, Richard. Mary Anne and Mr. Spier lived on Bradford Court before they joined Sharon and Dawn along with Mary Anne's cat, Tigger.

Mary Anne's the secretary. She's very organized and has a perfect handwriting. She can keep track on everything and doesn't make any errors.

She's also very shy and quiet. The oddest thing about that fact Mary Anne has a boyfriend! His name is Logan Bruno. He came from Kentucky with his parents and two siblings; Kerry & Hunter. He's one of the associate members- which means he doesn't attend any meetings, but is on call if we're all booked, if one of us is sick or on vacation.

Like me, Dawn has blonde hair and blue eyes & doesn't touch any candies, sugar, or meat. She prefers healthy foods.

Kristy Thomas is Mary Anne's first best friend. It's very odd about it because they're partly different. Unlike Mary Anne, she's out going out and pretty loud. Plus she's into sports while Mary Anne is horrible at it.

On the other hand, they do look alike. They're short for their ages even though Mary Anne grew taller, they moved to join their stepfamilies, and oh, they both have adopted siblings. Plus, Mary Anne and Kristy have brown hair & eyes.

Kristy lived next door to Mary Anne and across the street Claudia with her parents & three brothers. Her older brothers are Charlie and Sam & her younger brother is David Michael. Mr. Thomas left the marriage about seven years ago. Mrs. Thomas recently got remarried to this millionaire, Watson Brewer. After the marriage, the Thomas family moved in with the Brewers in the mansion that Watson owns. Kristy has two younger stepsiblings, Karen and Andrew. Like I said, Kristy has an adopted sister, Emily Michelle. She's an adorable two-year-old from Vietnam. Nannie-Mrs. Brewer's mom-moved in to help out.

She's the president. The club was her idea when her mom had a tough time to find a sitter for David Michael. She had two other ideas; 1) the Kid-Kits to help kids to be entertained if they're sick, get bored on a rainy day, or if they miss their folks and 2) the notebook so we would know what was happening during a sitting job.

Mary Anne has two adopted siblings; Carlos Peters and Meredith Sousa. Let's start with Carlos since he was the first one to be adopted. See, he lost his whole family when he was just eight years old; his older brother had a scarlet fever and his older sister was killed in a car crash along with both of his parents.

Meredith's dad passed away when a tourbus blew up a few years later. She's from London, England. She was an exchange student when she found out her mom and only sister were killed the same way her dad died.

The final members are Mallory and Jessi. They're eleven and are in sixth grade. They're too young to sit at night except for their younger brothers and sisters. That's why they're called Jr. Officers.

Mallory has seven siblings while Jessi only has one sister and one brother. They're both extremely talented: Mallory is a terrific writer and Jessi is a wonderful dancer. They're great sitters. They each have a hamster; Mallory has Fido and Jessi has Misty. They feel their parents treat them like kids even though they convinced their parents to let them to get their ear pierced. They love to read horse stories. The last difference is that Mallory's white and Jessi's the African-American.

Remember when I said Logan's one of the associate members? Well, the other one is Kristy's friend and neighbor, Shannon Kilbourne. She has two younger sisters, Tiffany and Maria. Like me and Dawn, Shannon has blue eyes and blonde hair.

Dawn came at five-twenty-five without Mary Anne, which was unusual, because they _always_ come together.

"Where's Mary Anne?" asked Kristy.

"We have a tragedy here: my mom just threw Mary Anne out for no reason," replied Dawn.

"What! Why?" asked Kristy.

"My mom and Mary Anne haven't gotten along lately. I don't know what it is," continued Dawn.

"Uh-oh. What did Mr. Spier have to say about this?" asked Claudia.

"She's heading straight to his law office now to see him. In fact, he's getting worried about the relationship," replied Dawn.

"Sharon needs a lot of explaining about why she threw out my best friend," said Kristy.

"Tell me about it," said Claudia.

"Mom's lucky it's not winter or raining because Mary Anne had no jacket on when she got thrown out," said Dawn.

"I know otherwise she could get sick with a cold and your mother could get the blame," added Kristy as the rest of us agreed.

"What's going on here?" asked Mallory when she and Jessi arrived from baby-sitting Mallory's siblings.

"We just found out Sharon threw Mary Anne out for nothing," replied Claudia.

"What!" exclaimed Mallory and Jessi.

"Mr. Spier is going to flip out on Sharon," said Jessi.

"I know," agreed Kristy.

"Especially since he's been very protective of Mary Anne," said Dawn.

"Plus where she would go?" asked Mallory.

"I agree on that," said Dawn.


	2. Mary Anne Tells Mr Spier

In Stamford, at Stamford Law Office, Mr. Spier was in the meeting when Mary Anne arrived. Mr. Spier's boss, Randy, noticed her. He's like a second father to her.

"Well, look who's here," said Randy.

"Hi, Randy," said Mary Anne whose eyes were puffy.

"Is everything okay?" asked Randy.

"I had a fine day until I got home. Here's the entire story: I was doing homework. I'm assuming Sharon had a tough day at work and was home early because she flipped out on me for no reason and guess what happen: she threw me out. I did nothing wrong. All I was trying to do is to make her feel better," explained Mary Anne trying not to cry.

"Uh-oh. That doesn't sound too good," said Randy.

"It's a good thing it's not raining or winter because I don't have my jacket when that happened. That's why I came here," said Mary Anne.

"Your father's in the meeting right now. He should be done in a few minutes," said Randy.

"Okay. Is it okay if I stay to wait for him?" asked Mary Anne.

"Certainly," replied Randy.

"Thanks," said Mary Anne trying not to cry again.

"We can talk for a bit until then," said Randy.

"I just couldn't believe Sharon threw me out for nothing," said Mary Anne when she started sobbing. "If my mom was living, she wouldn't do that for without a reason. Dad wouldn't like that."

"Let's get to the break room. We have vending machine for drinks for $1.25," Randy informed Mary Anne.

"Okay," said Mary Anne wiping her tears. "It's a good thing I got money in my pocket. But I only got fifty cents because I used some for the two busses I had to take to get here."

"I can give you extra," said Randy.

"Are you sure?" asked Mary Anne as he nodded. "Thanks. You're my lifesaver, Randy."

He laughed at that. In the break room, she got sprite and Randy picked Dr. Pepper.

"We can stay in here," said Randy.

That was when Randy noticed the meeting room had just finished the meeting.

"I'll be right back," said Randy.

"Okay," said Mary Anne.

He went out there when he saw Mr. Spier.

"Excuse me, Richard," said Randy.

"What's up?" asked Mr. Spier.

"You have a visitor in the break room," said Randy.

"Who is it?" asked Mr. Spier.

"Mary Anne. She's having problems at home. She just arrived awhile ago," replied his boss.

"Did something happened?" asked Mr. Spier.

In the break room, Randy came back in with Mr. Spier.

"Dad," said Mary Anne going to hug him while she was crying again.

"Is everything okay?" asked Mr. Spier as Mary Anne told him _everything_ and he was shocked about what Sharon had done.

"I did nothing wrong. All I tried to do is help her by making her feel better. She's _never_ like that," continued Mary Anne.

"I know," agreed Mr. Spier comforting his daughter.

"I don't know what problem to cause me and Sharon not to get along lately. I haven't done a thing about it," said Mary Anne.

"I've been noticing that. I'm concerned about the relationship between the two of you. I did realize you haven't done anything wrong. I believe you," said Mr. Spier. "We can work something out later at home."

"Okay. I just pray everything would be fine by then," said Mary Anne wiping her tears.

"I'm sure, sweetie," said Mr. Spier holding her hand.


	3. Mary Anne Stays at the McGills

I guess things didn't go very well because Mary Anne ran over to my house and she was crying again.

"Mary Anne, what happen?" I asked.

"I hate my stepmother even more. I overheard telling my dad to get rid of me. I could how I'm not wanted by her," said Mary Anne while she cried harder.

"You're kidding me! That's awful. I bet your dad was mad about that," I said.

"I know. He got mad at her for throwing me out earlier. I'm lucky to have my dad there for me," said Mary Anne.

"I know. Why don't you come in?" I asked her.

"Thanks," said Mary Anne as she came in with tears rolling down. "I don't get what Sharon's problem to have trouble to get along with me. We _always _get along until the other day."

"That is odd," I said.

"Yep," agreed Mary Anne.

"Why Sharon told your dad to get rid of you to begin with?" I asked.

"And do you know what else? Sharon thinks it's my fault to cause that problem," continued Mary Anne.

"She blamed it on you?" I asked as she nodded. "What kind of a stepmother is she to do that to you?"

"Tell me about it," agreed Mary Anne.

At the Schafer-Spier's house, Meredith was looking everywhere for Mary Anne and went to Mr. Spier.

"Dad, where's Mary Anne?" asked Meredith.

"Uh-oh. I bet she heard your mother," said Mr. Spier.

"She told me she's heading over to Stacey's," said Carlos.

"I should see if she's okay," said Mr. Spier.

Back at my house, Mary Anne was making dinner with me when the doorbell rang and I went to answer it. It was her father.

"How's Mary Anne?" asked Mr. Spier.

"Not well at all. She told me everything. Sharon blaming on Mary Anne to cause them not to get along doesn't seem right to me," I replied.

"I know. I got mad she's not going to throw my daughter out without a reason," said Mr. Spier. "Where's Mary Anne?"

"She's helping me with dinner," I told him.

I brought him to the kitchen while he went to Mary Anne.

"You must have heard what Sharon said," said Mr. Spier.

"Why Sharon wants to get rid of me? She makes it sound like that she doesn't want me at my own house," said Mary Anne. "I think I'm going to stay here to be away from her because I cannot face her."

"I don't blame you, sweetie," said Mr. Spier.

"I'll probably stay for a night or two," said Mary Anne.

"Or you can stay as long as you like," added her father.

"Okay," said Mary Anne. "And I'll spend the whole weekend in Iowa."

"You could do that as well," said Mr. Spier.

At dinner, Mary Anne wasn't eating much and said, "May I be excused?"

"Of course you can, dear," replied Mom.

Mary Anne got up and went to my room.

"I feel bad for her," said Mom.

"So do I. Sharon shouldn't throw Mary Anne out. There is no need for Sharon to tell Mr. Spier to get rid of his own and only child. I'm sorry, but that is not her business to do that," I said.

"I agree with you," said Mom.

"I didn't get why Sharon and Mary Anne aren't getting along lately. Even Mary Anne doesn't get it," I added.

"I would like to know why myself," said Mom.

"There is some way to help Mary Anne to figure out the problem," I said.

After dinner, I went to see Mary Anne. I came in and sat with her.

"Are you okay now?" I asked her.

"I just hope that would be something to help figure out what caused the relationship between me and Sharon to have problems," said Mary Anne.

"I know," I agreed.

"Dawn is no help. She takes her own mother's side. I tell her to stay out of it and let me handle the problem myself," continued Mary Anne. "She wasn't like that until then."

"Isn't that something?" I asked.

"I know," agreed Mary Anne.

"Don't worry everything would be fine," I said.

And because of Sharon, Mary Anne woke up from having bad dreams. One was about Sharon was trying to kidnap Mary Anne from here and she was trying to escape. The other was about Sharon kidnapped her from here and when Mr. Spier found her while she was drowning and Sharon got arrested after that.

"Boy. I guess hearing Sharon about getting rid of you must of hurt you pretty bad," I said.

"Yes," replied Mary Anne.

"It's going to be okay," I said.


	4. Stacey Invites Mr Spier for Dinner

The next day, Mary Anne was still tired, so she stayed home from school. After school, back at home, Mary Anne was asleep on the couch. I knew she would be since she had a rough night. Mr. Spier came behind me and I didn't know that when I nearly closed the door and I turned.

"Oh, hi. I didn't notice you were right behind me," I said.

He just chuckled and then said, "How's Mary Anne's been doing?"

"She had a tough night, so she ended up staying home from school today. She's been asleep since I left this morning. I knew she would be," I told him.

"I told Sharon if she ever throw my daughter out without a reason, she's taking the road. I told her that's a warning and Mary Anne's been trying to make her feel better," said Mr. Spier.

"I agree. How would Sharon feel if Mary Anne refuses to let her stepmother to make her feel better one of these days?" I asked.

"You got a very good point," agreed Mr. Spier.

"I know. Plus, that would cause them to have problems with their relationships. Since when Sharon's like that anyway?" I asked. "I also heard Dawn was no help by taking her own mother's side."

"That's correct. At least Mary Anne had the courage to tell Dawn to stay out of it so she can handle it on her own," said Mr. Spier.

"That's true. She told me about it. Anyway, would you like to stay for dinner tonight before you lose your temper on Sharon even more?" I asked.

"That'd be a good idea. Thank you. I'm planning to join Mary Anne when she goes away to Iowa for the weekend," said Mr. Spier.

"I don't blame you for doing that," I said. "I have to baby-sit after an early dinner. Mary Anne's coming with me if she has the energy."

"That'd be a good thing for her," said Mr. Spier.

"I know. Mom's getting out of work in an hour," I said.

"Alright. Any ideas for dinner?" asked Mr. Spier.

"She's thinking of ordering pizza. I can only have spaghetti, garlic bread and salad. She gets pizza for herself. I can call her to let her know I invited you here for supper," I said.

That's what I did and she didn't mind at all. It was all set after that. An hour later, Mom called to let me know she already ordered pizza and would be getting it shortly. So, I set the table for all four of us since I got a feeling that Mary Anne might want to eat, too. Twelve minutes later, Mom came home with pizza, salad, and garlic bread. She told me she got spaghetti. I can have tomato sauce, not butter. Mary Anne-who had just got up-joined us. She seemed to be better. She's relieved that she saw her dad there for dinner.

"What time are you leaving?" asked Mary Anne.

"After dinner," I replied.

"Oh, would I have time to take a quick shower after I eat?" asked Mary Anne.

"You should have time," I replied.

"Just want to make sure because I don't want to make you wait," said Mary Anne.

"Take your time," I said.

After she ate, she said, "May I leave the table to take a quick shower before I leave with Stacey?"

"Go ahead, honey," said her father.

Mary Anne got up as she headed off to take a quick shower.

"I'll be baby-sitting for Charlotte shortly. Becca's going to be there," I said. "Mary Anne and I are going to be back later on tonight after nine."

Mary Anne came down just five minutes before we left. At Charlotte's, Becca didn't arrive yet, but she did ten minutes later. Becca had a few books of hers. The girls' plans were to play school for the afternoon. Charlotte and Becca are having a night out since they attend the same school because A) Jessi was told she was having dancing lessons until eight-thirty tonight, B) her parents are going out for the night, and C) her aunt is on vacation. Jessi was unavaible to baby-sit for Squirt, so Claudia agreed to take the job.

The girls even had permission to stay up until Charlotte's parents return for nine. They did play school and had a great time. They didn't have dinner so Charlotte's mom wanted me to feed them. They want to have a picnic.

"I like picnics. That's what I do with Jenny whenever I baby-sit her," said Mary Anne.

They had a picnic at seven. We made them peanut butter and jelly. I'm glad this been keeping Mary Anne busy so far. Later, at nine on the dot, Charlotte and Becca had just went to bed before Charlotte's folks came home.

"The girls were tired, so they just went to bed. They had a fun time," I said.

They thanked and paid me & Mary Anne since she helped out. Then we left for home.


	5. Mary Anne Leaves for Iowa

When we got back to my house, Mr. Spier was already gone back home according to Mom.

"What time did he leave?" I asked.

"About an hour after you girls did," replied Mom.

"Oh," I said.

"He was planning to leave for Iowa tomorrow morning and he said that Mary Anne can meet him there Friday afternoon after school," continued Mom.

"Okay," said Mary Anne. "And I pray that Sharon would be fine by the time we return."

"I agree with you," said Mom.

I agreed with Mary Anne as well. I wouldn't want to stay with a family or stepfamily wouldn't treat me properly. In the middle of the night, poor Mary Anne had a very tough night and she kept awaking up from having bad dreams twice. Both were about Sharon kidnapping her and throwing her into the pond to drown her. I used to have scary ones myself when I was little. And Mom would ask I was dreaming about to help me overcome my fears.

Sharon should've thought of that before telling Mr. Spier to get rid of his only child even though they have Carlos and Meredith now. Plus, she cried at both times. I still feel _so_ bad for her. The next day, Mary Anne managed to take a shower and left the house for school with me. I think she's starting forgetting about what Sharon did. I'm glad about that.

At school, Mary Anne had a very tough day. Like she said, Dawn isn't helping! She tells Mary Anne to get 'over it'.

"Why should I?" asked Mary Anne. "Your mom has no business to tell Dad to get rid of me for no reason. I like being here and being with my father. How do you think he might feel if he finds out she actually got rid of me? He'd be heartbroken since I am his only child for a long time before you, Carlos, and Meredith came into my life to be my siblings. Just leave me alone, okay?"

She left the table to be with Logan. I think he's supportive since he knew about what happen.

"Are you realizing that you're making it worse? Don't you notice that your mom and Mary Anne aren't getting along for some reason? Your stepdad did and is concerned about the relationship being torn apart," I said. "I noticed that Mary Anne is right. You're no help at all with the relationship between Mary Anne and your mom. You need to support them and find out why they're not getting along."

The other girls agreed with me.

"Come on, let's see if we can join Mary Anne and Logan," said Kristy.

"Yeah," said Claudia.

We got away to join Mary Anne and Logan who accepted our offer to join them.

"At least you would find a way about my relationship with Sharon," said Mary Anne. "I told you she's not helping me at all."

"I knew what you meant," I said.

She tried so hard not to cry, but she left the lunchroom.

"Why can't Dawn drop the subject?" I asked.

"Tell me about it," agreed Kristy.

"She has no respect sometimes," I added.

"Dawn is driving Mary Anne nuts and making it even more worse," said Patti.

"What happen now?" I asked.

"Dawn can't wait for Sharon to kick Mary Anne out," said Patti.

"Is that what she told my best friend?" asked Kristy.

"Bingo," replied Kathi.

"What happen to the old Dawn who told us and she was worried the other day?" asked Kristy.

"I know," I said.

"That is odd," said Claudia.

"Dawn needs to shut her mouth," I added.

"I agree," said Kristy.

"No I don't," said Dawn.

"Actually, yes because you made things worse by upsetting Mary Anne," I said. "You didn't help at all by telling her you can not wait for your mother to kick your own sister out. What happen to the old Dawn who felt bad for Mary Anne at the meeting the other day?"

"Exactly," said Kristy. "Why did you tell that to my best friend?"

After lunch, we went to look for Mary Anne. Poor Mary Anne was crying when we found her in the library.

"I hope we can still find the way about why Sharon and I aren't getting along. I didn't do anything wrong to her," said Mary Anne while the tears were rolling down.

"It's going to be okay," I said.

"I can't wait to go to Iowa," said Mary Anne while she was still sobbing a bit.

"I bet," said Kristy.

"I think I'll go there tomorrow instead of Friday so I can be far away from Sharon and Dawn," said Mary Anne.

"If you want to. I don't blame you," I said.

After school, while Sharon was at work, Mary Anne was packing her suitcase and came to my house.

"I'm going to Iowa tomorrow morning," Mary Anne tells Mom.

"Okay," said Mom.

The next day, Mom and Mary Anne left for the airport. She's glad to get away from her stepfamily. At school, Meredith came to us.

"That Dawn was _so _immature last night saying she's glad that Mary Anne decided to leave for Iowa today," said Meredith.

"I think I should ban her from the club until further notice," said Kristy.

"Good idea," I agreed.

"Yeah," said the rest.

"No you're not," said Dawn.

"Yes I can. I'm the president, remember? And you better apologize to Mary Anne when she returns Sunday or you'll be fired," said Kristy.

"Whatever," said Dawn as she leaves.

"No one should hurt my best friend," said Kristy.

"I agree. Both Carlos and I got very mad at Dawn," said Meredith.

They're very protective of Mary Anne and wouldn't allow Dawn to hurt their sister. That's how they are good siblings to Mary Anne.


	6. The Solution to the Family Problem

A few hours later, Mary Anne was already in Iowa. She took a taxi to go to her grandmother's house. When she got there, she got her suitcase and went on the porch as she rangs the doorbell.

"That must be my granddaughter, Mary Anne. She told me she decided to join me and my son-in-law today," said Grandma Verna as she came to the door to open it."Hi, honey. You can come inside."

"Thanks," said Mary Anne as she enters. "Stacey would be joining me after school tomorrow."

"Okay," said Grandma Verna.

"Where's Dad?" asked Mary Anne. "Did he know I was coming?"

"He knew," replied her grandmother. "He took a flight and was here since yesterday afternoon. He rented a car that was next door to the airport."

"I was just curious," said Mary Anne.

"That's alright," smiled Grandma Verna. "He went out to do a few errands for me because my car broke down and it's at the garage right now."

"I'll put my suitcase in my room later," said Mary Anne.

"That's fine. I got company I would like you to meet," said Grandma Verna. "She started volunteering with me last week on Bingo nights."

They went to the living room.

"Crystal, this is my granddaughter, Mary Anne Spier. She was my daughter's daughter. Mary Anne, this is Crystal King," said Grandma Verna. "Her husband, George, and your grandfather were cousins. That makes her my cousin and your cousin. Her two sons and two daughters and grandchildren are our cousins, too."

"Really?" asked Mary Anne as her grandmother nodded.

"It's a pleasure to meet you at last, dear," said Crystal.

"Same here," said Mary Anne shyly.

"George just died recently, so she decided to volunteer to keep herself busy," said Grandma Verna. "She's also my age."

"We lived in New York City before I moved here after he died a few months ago to move in with my son and his family," said Crystal. "I have 13 grandchildren."

"Wow," said Mary Anne.

"My youngest grandson is only three, so he won't know George when he gets older," said Crystal.

"I know how that feels. I never knew my mother. I was a baby when she passed on," said Mary Anne.

"I know. George and I were at the funeral at the time. That was the first time I saw you," said Crystal.

"You were?" asked Mary Anne.

"Yes. I was surprised to see your father again. He did a great job raising you on his own for a long time," said Crystal.

"Thanks. I'm lucky to have him," said Mary Anne.

That was when Mr. Spier came back from doing errands for his mother-in-law.

"I went by the garage to see if your car was ready and it was closed for a week because the owner had a surgery according to the note," said Mr. Spier.

"That's alright. I got a ride for Bingo nights," said Grandma Verna.

"That's a good thing," said Mr. Spier.

"I know," agreed Grandma Verna.

"Hi, hon," said Mr. Spier after noticing Mary Anne there.

"Hi, I just arrived awhile ago," said Mary Anne. "Dawn was making things worse. That's why I wanted to come today. You know what she said: she couldn't wait until Sharon kicks me."

"Your grandmother told me after you called here. I couldn't believe the way Dawn talked to you like that. That was very rude," said Mr. Spier.

"I agree with you it was. She also thinks I should get over it," continued Mary Anne. "Both Meredith and Carlos got mad at Dawn."

"I bet they were," said Mr. Spier.

"Stacey is coming over tomorrow after school," said Mary Anne.

"Okay," said her father.

Back at home, I was packing my suitcase to get ready for tomorrow. I won't be at the meeting and Kristy knew it already. The next day, after school, Mom took me to the airport. Back in Iowa, at Grandma Verna's, Mary Anne was outdoors with her grandmother gardening. A few hours later, they were still outside when I arrived at the house and rang the doorbell.

"I'm outback, Stacey," I could hear Mary Anne say.

I came out after putting my suitcase in the living room.

"Hi, Stacey, nice to see you again," said Grandma Verna.

"Same here," I said. "You must be glad to be away from both Sharon and Dawn for awhile."

"I sure am," said Mary Anne.

"Dawn was a big pain today," I said.

"What a surprise. What did she do this time?" asked Mary Anne.

"She was like 'it's quiet without Mary Anne today'," I said.

"What? Why did she tell you that for?" asked Mary Anne who was in a shocked tone.

"Who knows? But none of us answered her. Kristy did tell Dawn to drop it," I replied.

"Good," said Mary Anne.

"I know," I agreed.

"Let's hope Sharon would be in a better mood on Sunday. The way she acts is causing our relationship to torn apart. Dawn is making it worse. I also hope we would find a solution on why Sharon and I aren't getting along lately," said Mary Anne.

"I'm sure we will," I said. "There is always a way to find out."

"True," agreed Mary Anne.

That evening, we were having dinner when the phone rang as Grandma Verna got up to go answer it.

"Hello. Hi, Kristy. Okay, hold on. Mary Anne, it's Kristy. She might have a solution," said Grandma Verna.

Mary Anne got up and talked to Kristy and couldn't believe on what she heard: Granny's plan was to torn their family apart.

"What? Why would she want to do that? Is that why Sharon and I weren't getting along lately?" asked Mary Anne.

"Bingo," replied Kristy. "She also thinks your father is a terrible husband."

"She is wrong," said Mary Anne.

"I agree," said Kristy.

After they finished talking, Mary Anne came back and said, "I just found out why Sharon and I aren't getting along."

"You did? What was the problem?" I asked.

"It was Granny's idea to tear our family apart," said Mary Anne.

"What?" I asked in a shocked tone.

"Uh-huh. Here comes the most insulting part ever: she thinks Dad's a terrible husband. I told Kristy that Granny is wrong," said Mary Anne.

"I agree she is," said Mr. Spier.

"For Granny's information, Dad makes Sharon happy. They're very good to one another. And if they get a divorce one day, Granny's taking the blame," said Mary Anne.

The rest of us agreed with Mary Anne.

"How should we explain this to Sharon on Sunday? What if she doesn't believe us?" asked Mary Anne.

"I'm sure she will. Pop-Pop would probably be there if we need him," replied Mr. Spier.

"Good idea. Or we can tell this to Granny," I suggested.

"That's true as well," agreed Mary Anne.

"And if she doesn't want to hear it, that is too bad," said her father.

"Let's keep our fingers crossed," said Mary Anne.

"I hope this would make you and Sharon have a better relationship. I mean, you both got along until this happened because of Granny," I said.

"I know," said Mary Anne.


	7. The Family Meetings

In the middle of the night, Mary Anne didn't sleep much thinking of why Granny would want to ruin the relationship between Mary Anne and Sharon. I mean, Mary Anne is very upset after she learned about the cause. I'm glad Kristy mentioned this. I heard her got up and going downstairs. So, I got up and went to her.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I couldn't sleep. I couldn't believe Granny wants to ruin our relationship. I don't know why she would plan that way," said Mary Anne.

"I know," I agreed.

"I just miss not having the special relationship with Sharon. She's like a mother to me," said Mary Anne who was trying to hold back tears.

"I know you do," I said comforting her.

Mr. Spier must have heard us because he came out from the guestroom that was downstairs and said, "Is everything okay, honey?"

"She's still upset about what Granny is trying to do," I said.

"I bet," said Mr. Spier. "Want to be with me?"

"Okay," said Mary Anne as she wipes her tears.

"It'll be alright," said Mr. Spier.

Two hours later, Mary Anne woke up from a bad dream she was having and Mr. Spier noticed that as he sits up in bed.

"Are you alright?" asked Mr. Spier.

"I had a bad dream, that's all. About that our family did break up because of Granny," said Mary Anne.

"Oh, honey, I'm sure we won't let that happen," said her father.

"True. I'm just upset about Granny's plan," said Mary Anne.

"It's going to be okay," said Mr. Spier while he was stroking her hair.

The next day, we took our noon flight to go back home. We took a taxi home. After they dropped me off they went to go home so they can have a short meeting with Sharon. At home, Mary Anne and her father went to Sharon.

"Sharon, we need to talk," said Mr. Spier.

"For what now?" asked Sharon.

"Just sit," said Mary Anne.

"Um, okay," said Sharon as they all sat down.

"I found out what was the cause that you and I stopped getting along lately and caused the relationship to be torn apart," said Mary Anne.

"What was it?" asked Sharon.

"Your mother," replied Mr. Spier.

"What about her?" asked Sharon.

"Her plan was ruining our relationship. She also said my dad isn't a good husband," said Mary Anne.

"What? Is this a joke?" asked Sharon.

"No, it's not," said Mr. Spier.

"How did you found out?" asked Sharon.

"I heard about it," said Meredith who overheard them. "That's not right at all."

"Well, then we should go talk to my mother," said Sharon.

"With your father involved if you don't mind. He won't be too happy with her," said Mr. Spier.

All three of them left to Granny and Pop-Pop's and went inside.

"Mom, we need to talk," said Sharon.

"Like what?" asked Granny.

"What happened?" asked Pop-Pop.

"Well, you said that your plan to torn our family apart and Richard is a terrible husband," said Sharon.

"And because of you, Sharon and I stopped getting along," added Mary Anne.

"Is that true?" asked Pop-Pop.

"Well, I... I wanted it the best for you," said Granny.

"By trying to break us up?" asked Sharon.

"Sharon is happy with me," replied Mr. Spier. "If she wants to stay with me, that's her choice, not yours. Adults can make their own decisions."

"And I love Richard since high school. You have no right to separate us," Sharon continued.

"Or trying to ruin the family. Dawn and I enjoy being sisters," added Mary Anne.

"And you ended up having Dawn taking her mother's side. That's not right for any of us," said Mr. Spier.

"Nobody should separate anyone," said Pop-Pop sternly to Granny. "Let Sharon be happy. Don't you do it again."

"And what you can do is apologize," said Sharon.

"I agree with you she needs to do that," said Pop-Pop.

"Me, too," said Mr. Spier.

"Same here," said Mary Anne. "I thought Sharon had bad days at work when our relationship fell apart. I'm glad I knew why now. Meredith knew about it."

"And you wonder why Mary Anne can't stand you at all one of these days. She is trying to be nice to you," said Mr. Spier.

Granny did not apologize-even before they left-, so they gave her a week to say her sorry or Pop-Pop will file for a divorce. That was a good idea to do. That's what Mary Anne told me when she called me about the family meeting.

"I hope she apologizes if she doesn't want a divorce," I said.

"Me, too," said Mary Anne.

It took Granny all night until she _finally_ called to apologize to them.

"Just don't do it again," said Sharon.

Mary Anne is glad that her family is back to normal-especially with Sharon.

"I did miss not having the relationship with you at all when we stopped getting along," said Mary Anne.

"I was thinking of that, too," said Sharon. "I would like to adopt you one day."

"As in to be your real daughter?" asked Mary Anne as Sharon nodded. "Wow. I would like that very much."

Mary Anne was very happy and hugged Sharon.


	8. The Party for Sharon

A week later, I heard Mary Anne and Sharon's relationship has been much better since they found out the problem. I'm glad about that. Mary Anne is having a surprise party for Sharon for being the best stepmomon Saturday afternoon at her house. That sounded like a nice idea to do.

"Want me to help you?" I asked.

"Sure. The others offered to help, too," said Mary Anne.

"Okay, great," I said.

"I told Dawn not to spoil the secret," said Mary Anne. "Dad liked the idea, too. He's going to help out as well."

"Good," I said.

After school, we got party supplies.

"Watch her going to think it's her birthday," said Mary Anne as we giggled.

"I know," I said.

On Saturday, the girls and I came over after Mary Anne called to say the close was clear. Her dad took Sharon out to do errands with him. We set up for the party. We were all set after twenty minutes. Mr. Spier and Sharon weren't back yet. So, that was a good time.

"I would like the good relationship with Granny back. I miss that moment," said Mary Anne.

"You could make a deal with her if you need to," I suggested.

"I was thinking about doing that way. She and Pop-Pop are coming for the party anyway." said Mary Anne.

"You could tell her that in private," I said.

Granny and Pop-Pop came two seconds later.

"They're not back yet," said Mary Anne.

"Good, we made it," said Pop-Pop.

"Without that horrible husband," said Granny.

Mary Anne and I stared at each other.

"Excuse me for a moment," said Mary Anne as she went to Granny. "You need to stop saying bad stuff about my father. I want that relationship we had before, but only on one condition if you want that to happen."

"What?" asked Granny.

"Stop critizing Dad. That's why you and I have trouble getting along. I love Sharon too much. She's the kind of the mother I never had," said Mary Anne. "You used to treat me like a granddaughter until you caused our relationship to drop. Can you promise me not to critize Dad anymore so you and I can get along again?"

"Oh, alright. I promise," said Granny.

"Good," said Pop-Pop. "Very smart move, Mary Anne."

"I just hate to see Dad to get hurt," said Mary Anne.

Ten minutes later, we heard the car and Mary Anne went over to see.

"They're back. Let's go in the kitchen until they come in," whispered Mary Anne as we headed to the kitchen.

Once they came in, Sharon didn't know what was going on until we came out to say, "Surprise!"

"What is this all about?" asked Sharon.

"For being the best stepmom, so I figured I do something special for you," said Mary Anne as she went to hug Sharon.

"Thank you, honey," said Sharon.

"It was her idea," said Mr. Spier.

"And, we helped," I added.

"Thank you, everyone," smiled Sharon.

We had a great time. Sharon noticed something odd between her mom and Mary Anne.

"If you want to know, Mary Anne wanted to get the relationship they had by making your mom promise not to critize Mr. Spier anymore," I explained.

"She did?" asked Sharon as I nodded. "That's an amazing thing to hear."

"I know," I said. "Mr. Spier would be glad to hear that, too."

I told him about earlier and he was glad he won't be critized since Mary Anne decided to prevent that from happening. Later, after the party, Sharon said,"I would like to borrow Mary Anne for the day tomorrow if you don't mind."

"Not at all. After all, she is your stepdaughter," said Mr. Spier.

"Really?" asked Mary Anne who overheard Sharon.

"Yes," said Sharon.

"Sweet!" exclaimed Mary Anne as she went to hug her stepmother. "Can we bring Granny to be girls' day?"

"Sure," said Sharon.

That's what they did the next day. I was glad their relationship is better now, especially with Granny. Later, Mary Anne called me about her best day with Sharon and her mom.

"I'm really glad about our relationship thanks to you," said Mary Anne.

"Me, too," I said.

"Want to hang out after school tomorrow? Just the two of us?" asked Mary Anne.

"Sure," I replied.

We did the following day. We had a great time at the mall. We stayed until it was time to head for Claud's for the meeting. We told the others about our day.

The End


End file.
